Crystal Snow
by Dancing to your Heartbeat
Summary: This is a rewrite of my other story Child of the Moon. Rating is subject to change. Miyuki was happy to have finally graduated from the academy, but why is she on the same team with her former fiance's little brother, a stalker to said brother, and a prankster. Not to mention, why does her sensei smell so damn good?


WARNING: This story will contain adult language, violence, sexual references, and other adult situations. The current rating is subject to change later on.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. I do, however, own Miyuki Tukiko, Kaminari, the Tukiko clan, and some other OCs that appear throughout the story.

Chapter One - Welcome to Real Life, Graduates

Miyuki Tukiko sat silently as she listened to her academy sensei - Iruka Umino - begin to explain to the class what they would be expected to do for the graduation exam. While she expected to have no issues with the test, Miyuki couldn't help but feel a little put out. She was already fourteen, almost fifteen, and she was only now reaching her graduation while her classmates were mostly twelve and thirteen-year-olds. Granted, she would have already graduated if it had not been for some unforeseen events that had occurred a few years back. But, she digresses.

"For your final exam, you must each generate a clone! Wait here until your name is called, and then proceed next door," Miyuki heard her sensei say before he called for the first name on his list and leaving with said student. _Well, that sounds simple enough, _she thought to herself as her deep blue eyes began to trail over her peers until landing on one Naruto Uzumaki. A delicate white eyebrow rose slightly at the sight of the hyperactive blonde gripping his hair tightly with a panicked expression on his face. Miyuki wondered for a brief second what had gotten into him until she remembered that Naruto wasn't the most successful at the clone jutsu. Silently, she wished him luck even though the two weren't exactly close friends.

Miyuki spent the remainder of her time reading a book she had recently purchased while absently gliding her hand through the silky, black fur of her most faithful companion. Occasionally, she would glance up as a student was called back or when a student would return with a glimmering new headband. Soon enough there were only a handful of students left within the classroom waiting to take their final exam, including not only herself but also Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha – the boy she had once been close to some years ago.

"Miyuki Tukiko," she heard Iruka-sensei call out her name from the doorway of the classroom. Marking her page, she closed her book and put it away before gently nudging the sleeping black mass on her lap awake.

"Come on, Kaminari. It's our turn now," she said softly to the lazy animal. Slowly, pale blue eyes met Miyuki's darker ones. The wolf pup lifted her head, nudging her head against Miyuki's open hand in greeting before letting out a loud yawn. Miyuki smiled at the pup before lifting her up into her arms. "I know you're still sleepy, but we have an exam to take. You can sleep more after it's finished." The black pup gave a sigh before reluctantly giving a yip of agreement. Smiling slightly, Miyuki gave the pup a gentle pat on the head. "Good girl."

Before long, Miyuki entered the exam room where two Chunin teachers – Iruka and Mizuki – awaited her. A slight frown made its way across her lips at the sight of Mizuki-sensei, but she gave no other indication of her displeasure. For some reason unknown to Miyuki, Mizuki always gave her a bad vibe. Something about him just never felt quite right, but he had yet to do anything to prove himself a bad person so Miyuki simply kept silent.

"Alright, Miyuki, you'll need to produce the minimum of three clones in order to pass your exam and graduate as an official kunoichi of the Leaf Village," Iruka-sensei informed her with a bright, hopeful smile. Miyuki simply nodded with a polite smile towards Iruka and gave Kaminari a brief nod as she placed her down on the wooden floor. She positioned her hands into the sign of the ram and closed her eyes for a second as she focused her chakra into making not only clones of herself but clones of her canine companion. Several simultaneous poofs were head as perfect copies of Miyuki and Kaminari appeared surrounding the two originals. Miyuki opened her eyes once more at the sound of the two examiners clapping. Giving a cursory glance at the clones, she dismissed them without much thought.

"Well done, Miyuki! You always have been a talented one. It's a shame you were only able to graduate now instead of with your original class," Mizuki praised. Miyuki gave him a tight smile but said nothing in hopes of not snapping at the man.

Iruka, perhaps somehow sensing her discomfort, cleared his throat to gain their attention. "Yes, well, congratulations Miyuki! I'm proud to say you are now a genin of the Hidden Leaf. I'm certain your family will be pleased to hear the news." Miyuki's smile dropped ever so slightly but she quickly regained her composure before either teacher could notice, or she hoped at least.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," Miyuki bowed politely before she reluctantly did the same towards Mizuki. "Thank you as well, Mizuki-sensei." Glancing at the clock on the wall, she said, "I should probably get going so you can finish the exam."

"Oh! Yes, of course. Here is your official headband. You may wear it however you choose so long as it can be seen," Iruka informed her as he handed her a dark blue headband with her village's symbol etched on a metal plate.

"Thank you once again," Miyuki said as she gently scooped up Kaminari off the floor and walked out the room. From behind her, she head Iruka come to stand in the doorway calling out for the next student. Upon exiting the academy, Miyuki couldn't help but scan her eyes over the parents that had gathered outside to await the new graduates. Disappointment washed over her when she confirmed that neither of her parents had shown up to congratulate her on her accomplishment. Miyuki couldn't say she was surprised though. She had expected it, but it still didn't stop the slight pain she felt in her heart.

A soft whine from Kaminari brought Miyuki out of her daze. Glancing down at the pup, she gave a small smile. "Yeah, I'm going to be alright." Giving Kaminari a slight squeeze, Miyuki's smile widened a little more. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Kaminari gave a happy bark – her tail thumping gently against Miyuki's side – before giving Miyuki a quick lick along the underside of her jaw. Laughing, Miyuki started to walk once more, leaving the school grounds. "Let's get out of here, girl."

* * *

Upon reaching her clan's compound, Miyuki was immediately stopped by one of the guards that stood vigilant at the towering gate. Her jaw clenched slightly at the tight grip that held her elbow and her eyes narrowed. "Can I help you?" she politely asked despite her urge to knee the man in a place she was sure he valued like any other man.

"Lord Arashi demands to see you at once," the man answered as his own eyes narrowed in contempt. Miyuki bit back a wince as the guard's hand began to squeeze her elbow even harder. Kaminari – sensing her partner's distress – let out a menacing growl for one so small and quickly bit into the hand that held Miyuki. The guard jerked back, his face contorting in pain and rage. "Son of a bitch!" he cursed while holding his bleeding hand. His gaze landed on the growling pup in Miyuki's arms. "I'm gonna kill that fucking mutt of yours!"

Miyuki's sapphire eyes hardened at the guard's remark. Jerking her elbow back, she slammed it into the guard's nose. The man cried out in pain once more, now clutching his bleeding nose. "_That_ was for threatening my partner," Miyuki sneered at the man. "And perhaps if you hadn't been trying to hurt me, she wouldn't have bit you," she added before she promptly turned on her heel and strutted away. _Asshole._

* * *

All too soon, Miyuki found herself standing outside her father's personal office. Her anger from her encounter with the guard had simmered and now all she was feeling was a slight sense of dread. Taking a deep breath, Miyuki raised her hand to knock on the door in front of her. A few seconds ticked by before a gruff call to enter could be heard from inside the room. Miyuki took one last deep breath before opening the door.

Upon entering the generously sized office space her father often occupied when he was home, Miyuki spotted her father, as usual, sitting behind his low standing desk with her mother just a little ways away preparing what smelt to be Kamairicha tea. She briefly wondered where her cute little brother was but knew if he wasn't with their parents, then he was most likely with their grandmother Kihana. Miyuki quickly slide the door closed before kneeling down in front of her father's desk. From the corner of her eye, she saw her mother momentarily pause in her preparations to give Miyuki a glance before continuing. Her father, however, kept his eyes focused on the stack of papers before him. If it had not been for the way his nostrils flared slightly and his jaw clenching, Miyuki would have assumed he didn't know she was there.

"You requested my presence, my lord?" Miyuki finally broke the silence. _Jeez…He's the one that wanted to see me, yet he can't even be the one to say something first. _

"Did you pass your exam?" her father's deep and slightly rough voice brought Miyuki out of her thoughts.

Miyuki lifted her head up so she could get a better look at her father's face. She supposed Arashi Tukiko was someone that many would consider undeniably handsome with his rich black hair and the same sapphire blue eyes that Miyuki shared with him. His cold personality, however, left something to be desired. Miyuki narrowed her eyes slightly at the lack of faith the man held in her. "Yes, sir. I did," she answered politely while withdrawing her new headband from her pocket and gently laid it on the desk to display it to both her parents.

Miyuki watched as her father paused in his work for the first time since she has entered the room. His cold, hard eyes stared briefly at the band before flickering back to his paperwork. "Good," he spoke after a few seconds passed. By this time, her mother – Emiri Tukiko – had made her way to kneel to the side of the desk with a small tray of steaming tea. Taking hold of the mug that the older woman had set down near him, Arashi met Miyuki's gaze, his eyes showing no warmth or a hint of affection for the fourteen-year-old. "Be sure you do not do anything to bring any more shame to yourself or the Tukiko name."

Miyuki felt her heart give a painful throb at her father's words. Breaking his stare, Miyuki gave her father a quick bow, hoping that the man had not seen in her eyes how much his words hurt. "Yes, my lord. I will do my best to uphold the Tukiko name."

"Very well. You're dismissed," Arashi waved her away, obviously wanting nothing more to do with her.

Bowing once more, Miyuki wasted no time leaving the suffocating room. She quickly raced to her room where she had left Kaminari and promptly crashed down onto her bed, startling the poor pup. "Thank the gods above that is over," she sighed as her eyes closed and the tension slowly left her body. From beside her, she felt Kaminari curl up against her side and gave the teenager a small whine. "Yeah, I'm fine," Miyuki answered as she began to slowly rub Kaminari's head. "Say…Why don't we just go to bed early today?" Kaminari gave a short groan causing Miyuki to laugh. "Yeah, I didn't think you would mind."

* * *

A couple of days following her graduation exam, Miyuki found herself once again seated at the same desk she had occupied for the past year and a half. Except for this time, she was not there for lessons. She was finally going to be assigned to a genin team. Miyuki could only hope that she and the rest of her team got along.

The sound of several gasps quickly brought Miyuki's attention away from her thoughts of her soon-to-be teammates. Her sapphire eyes widened in slight surprise at the unexpected scene she was now bearing witness too. "Huh…I guess that explains a couple of things…" she muttered to herself as she continued to watch Naruto and Sasuke lip-lock in front of the entire classroom. A wicked grin quickly spread across her petal-pink lips. Leaning her head against the palm of her head, she said loud enough for the others, particularly Naruto and Sasuke, to hear her, "Well, if you're going to keep kissing, at least make it interesting for the rest of us watching." Her suggestive comment seemed to bring the two boys, as well as everyone else, out of their absent-minded shock.

Many of Sasuke's fangirls turned to her with glares on their faces and teeth gritted together. "Miyuki!" they all shouted in unison. "How dare you suggest something like that!"

Miyuki simply raised an eyebrow at them while she stroked a snickering Kaminari. "Please," she rolled her eyes, "Like none of you are yaoi fans." She eyed the girls with a knowing gleam in her eyes. "I've seen the mangas some of you carry around."

Before any of the girls could retort, the sound of an enraged Sasuke took their attention away from the white-haired heiress. "Naruto, you piece-of-crap! You are dead!" the Uchiha threatened the blonde while trying to rid his body, mind, and soul of Naruto's taste.

Naruto was in a similar state on the floor, looking as though he were going to vomit. "Poison!" he exclaimed in horror. "My mouth is ruined!" Miyuki watched the two boys with an amused smile. _And here I was hoping for a good show. _From behind Naruto, Sasuke's fangirls began to gather together with the dark aura of bloodlust surrounding them. _Well, this is almost as entertaining._

* * *

Around ten minutes after the fangirls finished their assault on the poor Uzumaki boy, Iruka finally entered the classroom with a clipboard in hand. "From this day forward, you are no longer students of ninjutsu, but full-fledged shinobi," Iruka began to lecture the class one last time. Miyuki had briefly debated with herself on whether or not she should bother to listen but quickly decided to humor the man one last time. "But, among the rank of the shinobi, you are mere novices, the lowest of the low. Your greatest challenges all lie ahead." Was it bad that she was already regretting her decision to actually listen? "The next step is the assignment of official duties to you all on behalf of our village. We will begin dividing you into three-man cells, though one will have a fourth member due to having an odd number of students graduating this year. Each of you will be mentored by a Jonin, a more senior ninja, who will guide and coach you as you become familiar with your various assignments."

Miyuki began to ponder whom she would be paired off with. She assumed due to her clan's abilities, that she would likely be with the boy from her cousin clan, Kiba Inuzuka. There was also the possibility of the Abarame boy or the shy little Hyuga girl that seemed to have a not so secret crush on a certain blonde goofball. Of course, this was all speculation, but it was what made the most sense to her.

"I, along with a few others, made the selections so that each cell's abilities would be approximately equal," Iruka continued on. There was a brief pause among the students before a collective shout of "What" echoed throughout the room. Miyuki cringed slightly at the volume and gritted her teeth as her ears throbbed in pain. In her lap, Kaminari let out an annoyed growl. Sighing, Miyuki simply ran her hand through the wolf's fur to calm her down. Why did it suddenly feel like it was going to be a long ass day?

Miyuki let out an almost inaudible sigh as Iruka finished reading off the names of the sixth team. To be honest, she was starting to feel a little anxious. Kaminari, sensing Miyuki's slight distress, nipped at her fingers to get her attention. Blinking, Miyuki glanced down at the black mass on her lap in curiosity. She tilted her head and gave the pup to a questioning glance before realizing that the she-wolf was trying to make her feel better. Giving her companion a smile, Miyuki continued to listen for her name to be called.

"Next, team number seven. Sakura Haruno, Miyuki Tukiko," Miyuki instantly perked up at the mention of her name, "Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto stood up cheering when he heard his name. _Probably because he's on a team with Sakura. Why he has a crush on her, I'll never understand. _Sakura, on the other hand, looked completely bummed out. " And Sasuke Uchiha." Suddenly, Naruto and Sakura's positions changed while Sasuke sat silently as ever beside the pink-haired genin. Miyuki watched all of this from her seat two rows back with an incredulous expression. _This_ was her team? Why? She would have to speak with Iruka-sensei when she had the chance.

Miyuki glanced over at her newly declared teammates when Naruto started to question why he was on a team with the last Uchiha (in Konoha, anyways). Iruka briefly explained why the two boys were placed on the same team. Apparently it had to do with balancing each other's strengths and weaknesses. This really started to make her question why she was with those three. Maybe, she's balancing out Sakura's physical weakness…but then that would imply that they thought Miyuki was weak mentally and she certainly was _not. _Oh yeah, she was definitely going to have to speak with Iruka.

* * *

"Okay, everyone. I'll be introducing your instructors this afternoon. Until then, you're dismissed," Iruka concluded after he had finished calling out all of the teams. As the rest of the genin shuffled out of the classroom to enjoy their leisure time, Miyuki stayed behind. Iruka glanced up from the paperwork he had been organizing when he noticed that his oldest student had yet to leave with the others. "Is something wrong, Miyuki?' he asked as the white-haired teenager stopped in front of his desk.

"Nothing's really wrong per se, I just simply had something I wanted to ask you," Miyuki answered with a small smile. Iruka stopped what he was doing and gave the girl his full attention. He had a feeling he knew what she wanted to ask and to be honest, he didn't blame her.

"It's about your assigned team, isn't it?"

Miyuki gave a short laugh with a nod of her head to confirm his own question. "Yes, it is. While I don't really have any complaints towards my new teammates, I am curious as to why I have been paired with them. I had assumed, considering my clans' abilities, that I would have been put on a team such as Team 8. Also, you said the teams were made to balance each other's strengths and weaknesses…How exactly am I balancing any of those three?"

Iruka closed his eyes briefly while trying to think of the best way to answer Miyuki's questions. Originally, he had planned on placing her on Team 8 just as she would have assumed, but the Hokage himself had made a personal request to put the girl on Team 7. "I'll be honest with you, I had originally placed you on Team 8. However, while I was going over the teams with the Hokage, he made the choice to place you on Team 7 instead." Iruka thought back to that moment in the Hokage's office and remembered the words the old man had spoken that day.

"_How much do you know about Miyuki Tukiko?" the Third Hokage asked him as he gazed down at the teenager's profile in his hands._

_ "Well, I know that she was in the hospital a couple of years back and that's why she's repeating some of the academy classes. Aside from that, she's an excellent student. She has high marks in all her classes. But as far as her personal life goes, I can't say I know anything," Iruka answered honestly. He wondered where the Hokage was going with this._

_ "I see. Well, I suppose it's not really necessary for you to know more than that. I, however, will say this, that girl is someone that I believe people like Naruto and Sasuke need in their lives. I also think she maybe be a good influence for the Haruno girl as well." It was with those words that Iruka found himself wondering what the Tukiko girl had done to garner such a compliment._

Miyuki blinked in surprise at what Iruka-sensei had told her. "Lord Hokage really said that about me?" A rare blush colored her cheeks at the compliment the Third Hokage had apparently given her.

Iruka smiled at the sight before him. He couldn't really recall a time where he had ever seen the girl blush from a compliment given to her by another. _She must have a lot of respect for Lord Hokage to react like this. _"Yes, Miyuki, he really said that. Now, why don't you go enjoy the rest of your free time getting to know you're new teammates before this afternoon?"

"Hm? Oh, I suppose you're right." Miyuki gave Iruka a quick bow. "Thank you for your time Iruka-sensei. I'll see you this afternoon." With that, she turned on her heel with her wolf companion trailing close behind her. _Now, just where did those three wonder off too?_

11


End file.
